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Wednesday, August 24, 2016

DIY Sunburst Mirror

I've been wanting to make a sunburst mirror for about a month now, and finally got around to it this past weekend. While it's not perfect, I'm pretty happy with how it turned out and it really completes the space in our entryway.

Materials:

12 Inch Round Mirror

10 Inch Wood Circle

40-50 Paint Sticks

Primer

Acrylic Paint (or spray paint)

12 Inch Embroidery Hoop

Sawtooth Picture Hanger (optional--I used command strips instead)

Gorilla Glue

Painters Tape

Sealant

Hot Glue

Steps:

If your paint sticks have a curve, cut them below the curve so that they are straight.

Using the primer, spray paint the sticks and the embroidery hoop. (This step is unnecessary if your sticks don't have a logo like mine did).

After letting the primer dry, paint the sticks and hoop. I chose to use acrylic paint and paint each stick individually, but if you are choosing to spray paint, you can do the entire thing at the very end. I just couldn't find the right color I wanted in spray paint, which is why I went with acrylic paint.

This is one coat of Mineral (Waverly Inspirations Brand) followed by a coat of Metallic Sahara Gold (Folk Art Brand). Let the paint dry well between coats.

On the back of your mirror, Draw a circle 1.5 inches in from the outside edge.

At this point, decide how you will hang your mirror. We are in a rental, so I used command strips. If that is how you will do it too, move on to the next step. If you want to hang it with a nail, you will want to put the sawtooth picture hanger on the back side of your wooden circle at this point. Center it towards the top of your wooded circle and hammer it in to place.

Arrange the sticks around the line you drew. Using a very thin layer of Gorilla Glue, glue the sticks down following the directions on the glue. (Dampen the back of the mirror, apply glue to the sticks. Make sure the glue is thin. It's strong and doesn't take much. The glue puffs up and if you use too much, it will seep through and show on the front of your mirror).

Use the Gorilla Glue to glue the wooden circle to the painter sticks. At this point, you are supposed to clamp the things you glued, but I don't have any clamps, so I had to get a little creative. I probably went a little overboard, but I wanted to make sure that the glue was solid. I used some heavy books and journals and then put some weights on top of those. I put a paper towel between the wood and the book/weight combo just in case the glue bubbled out so that it wouldn't ruin my books. For a more professional use of clamping, check out THIS post. For those of you with limited resources like me, the weights work just fine. Ha! Wait 1-2 hours for the glue to set.

Here is a shot of the glue bubbling out so you know what to expect. I used too much glue on this section, but there was no real harm done. Everything still went on well. And yes, the back of my mirror seriously looks like this!

Next, glue on a second layer of sticks. I put one stick in between two of the first layer. You can make it however full you like. The sticks should sit flush with the wooden circle. Apply glue to the edges of the sticks where they attach to the circle as well as to the first layer of sticks so they will attach on two points. Again, keep it thin.

Return the books to the top and wait the 1-2 hours.

Flip the mirror over to the front. Cover the mirror portion with painters tape and spray the entire thing with a sealant.

Finally, attach the painted hoop to the mirror using hot glue. This does not have to be such a firm hold since it is not bearing any weight, so you won't need to use the gorilla glue and risk it bubbling out on the front of your mirror. This addition is not necessary, but I think it gives the whole thing a more finished look. Personal preference.

If you are planning on spray painting the mirror, cover the mirror portion with painters tape and spray the entire thing. If you used acrylic paint, double check for any areas that need a little touch up, and you're done!

Let me know if you'r planning on making a mirror of your own.

I would love to see your finished products!

*Update: after a great question about the cost of the mirror, here is the breakdown:
I already had the gorilla glue, which runs about $6-$10 depending on the size, and I also already had the primer, sealant, and hot glue.
I got the painters sticks at Home Depot for free. They were super nice. When I asked them if I could buy sticks for my project, since I needed way more than they usually give away, they asked how many I needed. When I told the man I needed 45, he kind of chuckled and said "just take them!" Way nice. They do sell sticks without logos for about $1 for a pack of 10.

So aside from that, I spent:
$1.80 on the mirror (usually $3 at Michaels, but I used a 40% off coupon),
$2.40 on the wood circle (Usually $4, also with a 40% off coupon),
$5 on paint from Joanns ($2.50 for each bottle--could have gone back another day with another coupon, but I just wanted to get it and get started), and
$3 on the embroidery hoop from Walmart.
So a total of $12.20 for everything!
(It would have been around $20 more if I didn't have the glue, sealant, or the primer before).

Really great question, Erica! I'll update the post with that info. I already had the gorilla glue, which runs about $6-$10 depending on the size, and I also already had the primer, sealant, and hot glue. So aside from that, I spent $1.80 on the mirror (usually $3 at Michaels, but I used a 40% off coupon), $2.40 on the wood circle (Usually $4, also with a 40% off coupon), $5 on paint ($2.50 for each bottle), and $3 on the embroidery hoop. So a total of $12.20 for everything. It would have been around $20 more if I didn't have the glue, sealant, or the primer before.